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Summary for Lesson 1
In today’s lesson we began our work on 11+ comprehension, beginning with an overview of four key skills (connotation, imagery, structure & theme), discussing what literary analysis required of us and how we can think about viewing literature through a lens. Then, we focused on the key skill of connotation analysis, digging into the way connotation and denotation differ and how this can be used symbolically, metaphorically, and to create negative/positive associations. We practiced thinking about symbolic associations of imagery and then analysed a passage from a text together, unpicking the hidden meaning behind the text. I was really impressed by the level of analysis the class exhibited today, particularly when it came to thinking about underlying imagery being used and how this could create a particular atmosphere i.e., the low-hanging clouds, the broken marionette. Such great work everyone, well done and remember to check back for the slides too. See you next week 🙂
Connotation: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-connotation-definition-examples/
Homework question: how does the author make Miss B seem unpleasant?
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Hi Beth,
My homework is attached below. The lesson was fun and amazing! See you next time!
Kind Regards,
Hazel
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Hi Hazel, you are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This doc is empty, I think maybe you uploaded the wrong one? Just have a check and then I can mark for you
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Hi Beth, here is my homework for lesson 1
Thank you for the brilliant lesson, I’ll see you next week! 😊
HOW DOES THE AUTHOR MAKE MISS. B SEEM UNPLEASANT
The author makes Miss. B seem unpleasant by using repetition in the first paragraph where she comes into the room. This already shows that she is not a very nice person and she creeps up on people whether they like it or not. It also mentions that when she comes into the room, she scowls at the floor. When she does this the author makes her seem unpleasant by making sure that when she come into the room, she does it straight away. This is not a nice thing to do because she can’t smile at her children, and instead she scowls at the floor which is not very nice.
On line 9-10, it says that the greeting was like a rattle of swords. The sound of swords rattling does sound very good and it also makes that children sound like they are not enjoying greeting their teacher in the morning. On line 11, it says that that she knocks some poor boy sideways. After that, it does not say that she apologises to the boys, it just says that she carries on the lesson. In line 1p, it also spells the word “our” as “ar”. This how’s that the person experiencing this dreadful lesson does not enjoy it so they are not paying much attention to their spelling. On paragraph 6, it mentions that she shouts at the child who is not doing anything wrong. This makes the reader feel sympathetic for the child that the teacher is shouting at.
On line 22, it says that she “took her pleasure” goading him. Goading means putting someone into trouble. If it says that she took her pleasure goading him, then that’s not good. It means that she is enjoying putting him into trouble.
In summary, Miss B is VERY unpleasant because of all the horrible things that she does to her children.
Sanya
( P.S: every time I went off of Google and looked at the text, it would delete everything that I already had done. In the end, I had to try and memorize it. Sorry if I missed any bits.)
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Hi Beth,
Maybe you should try it again and hit for a while, because for me at the start it was also blank but then it appeared. Hope it works😃!
Kind Regards,
Hazel
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how does the author make Miss B seem unpleasant?
The author makes Miss B unpleasant by stating the way she looks and moves, the way the author says that she pounced and crept showed us that she behaves more like a wild animal eying its prey. As she knocks a boy sideways it shows that she is very careless and rough which makes her even more easier to hate. As she picks on people as well like Spadge, which she asks weird questions to. The whole classroom seems to be afraid of her as their voices are like rattling swords.
In line 35-36 it said, ‘She caught Spadge in the doorway and fell upon him.’ This shows how will she would pin a student down to the floor due to anger. She acts like a wild lion that was just set free from the zoo, its sanity is up as high as the heavens. Also on line 3 it said, ‘ she pried, she pried, she crouched, she crept, she pounced, she was a terror.’ This sentence also symbolises that she is very animalistic and not that easy to tame. The author describes her using the technique Zoomorphism which is comparing one to a animal, this is very common in this text as the writer includes a lot of this technique in the text to show how beastly this woman is.
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Summary for Lesson 2
In our lesson today we focused on poetry analysis and imagery. We learned about what makes a poem a poem, digging into notions such as poetry being “literature with all the water squeezed out” and an art form where sound matters. We learned about the different terminology used when speaking about poetry (i.e., speaker, stanza, enjambment) and looked at how it is important to think about shape, imagery, sound, metaphor and rhythm. Finally the class applied this beautifully to an 11+ poem, analysing it in depth and thinking about the connotations, images and structure used by the poet. We answered some 11+ comprehension questions on it (which the class did very well) and spoke about several different categories of imagery to look out for in a text: colour, nature, light, religious, violent and sensory. Incredible analysis today class, very impressive work 🙂
‘What makes a poem a poem’ video to watch if you haven’t seen before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc
Video we watched in class on poetry elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFNnbxCZPBU&t=23s
Poetry analysis link: https://www.matrix.edu.au/beginners-guide-poetry/how-to-analyse-a-poem-in-6-steps/
Homework- worth 8 marks, instead of 4
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Hi Beth,
Thank you for the wonderful lesson and hope this isnt too short for 25 marks, though its how i would anwser it.
Emily
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Hi Beth, here is my homework for the fantastic lesson! Sorry for the late homework
Have a nice week 😊
HAVING READ THIS POEM, HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THEIR LIVES?
Having read this poem, it makes me feel sympathetic for these people. I feel sorry for them because
They probably live in a very hot country such as Qatar or Burkina Faso and they do not get a lot of water. I commiserate with them since in the text it says, “imagine the drip of it, a small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god.” This makes me feel horrified because it says that if there was a tiny splash of water, they would almost think that it is a gift from god. It also mentions in the same sentence, that it echos. If something echos, then that means it is a very little amount.
Most humans can only survive up to 3 days without water so they must suffer every single day without one single drip of water. It also makes me feel content when the pipe bursts. This is because I feel really happy for them to be finally able to have water for the first time in their lives. It spreads joy in my body when the poem describes the water as “brass, copper, aluminum”. These are all types of metal and metal is normally very hard to get. Overall, thai makes me feel really heartbroken but then my mood lightens up when the pipe bursts.
Sanya.
(P.S.I checked with my parents and they fixed the problem. I can do my homework better now. Thank you.)
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This poem describes water like gold, diamonds as the people in this poem live in a place where water is a scarcity. It makes us feel bad for them as there would be a high rate of death if there isn’t that much water.
Like it’s probably a very hot place that barely gets any rain, so water would be super rare to find if you’re living there.As it describes in the first sentence, ‘The skin cracks like a pod’ it shows how the ground, crops just crack open due to the lack of any water. This makes us feel very worried about them as their crops and grounds slowly crack and die. It said, ‘Sometimes, the sudden rush of fortune.’ This shows how water is described as money, as if you’re at a casino and you won the best prize, the people are all rushing over to save what they can before the water drains out. This shows that they’re crazy for it because it’s very hard to find any, anywhere there because it usually just drys of in the hot, blazing heat of the sun.
The people of this poems lives are pretty bad as it seems like they’re poor and has a lack of one of the main things that helps us survive, which is water. This poem made me think that their lives are very hard but they try their best to make it better.
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Hi Beth,
Please check out the homework for lesson 1- I reposted in two places. The attachment should say something along the lines of Recovered Compatibility Mode- sorry for the trouble! My homework is attached below- hopefully this time there is writing inside😀! Hope it’s long and detailed enough for 8 marks. Thanks for the fantastic lesson!
Hazel
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Summary for Lesson 3
In today’s class we focused on structure, learning structural features and thinking about how to analyse them. We began by discussing different elements, watching a video that covered the definition of structure in writing, before moving on to learning a variety of structural devices, from flashbacks to cliffhangers. We analysed a passage, looking at the ways it withheld information and made reference to time, before reading an example analysis essay. Finally the class used their creative writing skills to explore structure by writing a piece of their own focusing on the concept. Fab work on this class, really excellent ideas on a range of new concepts. Very well done and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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HI BETH
GRRRREAT LESSON JUST LIKE LAST TIMES AND THE NEXT ONE AND THE ONE AFTERDo you like me structuring. O_O
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Hi Beth,
My homework is attached below. Thanks for the amazing lesson! Hopefully it isn’t blank😁!
Kind regards,
Hazel
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The writer creates suspense by using short sentences like, ‘Dark clouds had muted the moon.’ This sets how the atmosphere is dark and gloomy which adds to the effect. The writer described this gloomy setting to create tenses and suspense to the reader as they feel unsafe and uncomfortable. This also makes us feel scared for Lara as well, as she’s visiting this alone. Also in the first paragraph it said that, ‘she could hear blood thumping in her ears.’ This makes the reader tense up due to how it’s making them feel all uneasy and disturbed.
The writer occasionally describes the setting of the story as that creates a huge effect as it occasionally makes the reader tense. The writer uses fronted adverbials to give us more tenses and information about what is going on right now. Like, ‘Lara ran,’ this fronted adverbial makes us readers focus more and more wanting to know what she’ll do now or next time. The writer creates suspense by including short sentences and deep descriptions that makes the reader tense up. She also includes fronted adverbials to tell us more about what is happening. -
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Hi Beth,
Thanks for the amazing lesson, have a nice week. 😄
The writer uses structure in this text by using short sentences such as ‘It was here that she had first seen it’ and ‘This time she would be ready’. This creates suspension because it makes the reader wonder if she will make it this time or not. It also makes you wonder what it was that she saw the first time. Furthermore, it has a very scary theme because she is out at night when she is not meant to.
It also creates suspense when it does not say that she made her way to the woods, it just says ‘20 minutes later, she entered Harrow Woods.’ This makes us wonder if anything important has happened between the two events and is also a flash forward. The writer has also used tension throughout the text because of the setting. The setting really changes the mood of the text and it is also an example of pathetic fallacy. Throughout the text, it has created tension and has always been tugging me to read more.
Thanks again,
Sanya ☺️
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Summary for Lesson 4
In today’s class we looked at theme, digging deep into how to connect wider themes to the poems we analyse. We began by closely annotating and analysing a poem before looking at an analysis of the way it used word order and connecting this to a ‘reading for meaning’ step-by-step process. The class then did this on their own with a longer poem, unpacking the themes and main ideas and connecting this to language. We watched a video about finding deeper meaning, wrote P.E.E. paragraphs on the poem and lastly thought about how theme connects to the other building blocks we have learned so far. Great work everyone, keep it up and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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Summary for Lesson 5
In today’s class we had a comprehension workshop, looking at workshopping any questions the students had on the 11+ and practicing in groups. We had a Q&A session thinking about which parts of the exam the class wanted to go over and learned some specific tips for answering particular question types or working around particular problems. The students then completed a high-mark question in groups, answering it using the one-point-per-mark principle we spoke about in detail today, before sharing beautifully and looking at an example answer. Excellent work everyone, good luck with your revision and see you next lesson! 🙂
Homework
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Dear Beth,
Here is my Mock exam. I enjoyed this course so much, and I will hopefully be seeing you in the next one. Thank you for the brilliant teaching. I am so lucky to have such a supercalifragilsticexpialidocious teacher! Have a great time and see you soon!
Kind Regards,
Claire
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Dear Beth
I will miss the incredible lessons and plus x3 of all the other things people will say about the brilliant lessons.
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Hi Beth
Please find my mock exam attached in this file and I hope you have a great rest of your summer and I will see you on Thursday for my writing.
Kind regards Lucas
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1. 1) It said that it was obvious that the house was number 56, it stood out from the others. 2) ‘only one gate that and that was half-open hanging off its hinges.’ 3) There was a straggly hedge that hid the garden. 4) The windows and doors were boarded up.
2. The writer uses imagery to show Buddy’s thoughts and feelings. Like in line 7 it says, ‘boarded up windows’, ‘tangles of barbed wire’ and ‘the skin crawled up the back of his neck’ The use of boarded up windows is comparing the house as a prison. The use of tangles of barbed wire and the skin crawled up the back of his neck creates an unsettling atmosphere that mirrors Buddy’s growing of anxiety and fear as it uses some descriptive language.
They also used metaphors and similes to create more tension. Like when it said, ‘what was inside was too horrible to see,’ adds another blanket of complexity to what Buddy’s thoughts and feelings of this house, allowing the reader to put themselves into the shoes of Buddy.
Additionally, the writer describes Buddy’s actions and motions in a way that creates tension and makes up feel uneasy but still eager to know what’s coming next. He is hesitant and cautious as he turned around almost immediately after he heard the sound of Julius and Charmian.
Overall, the writer uses language to convey Buddy’s thoughts and feelings by the use of descriptive language and others that makes us uncanny and uncomfortable.3)The writer has structured the text to interest the reader by making and building tension using evocative language and details. There was an emphasis on the soul-stirring appearance on the elderly house, which makes an eerie atmosphere. They also used suspenseful language as Buddy decided to not go to the haunting house but changes his mind last minute. The story reaches its climax in tension when he walked upon the front door of the creaking building but it was toggled by Julius and Charmian. Overall, the writer has effectively structured the text to keep the reader engaged and eager for what’s coming next.
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Summary for Lesson 6
In today’s class we completed our comprehension summer course with a mock, where the class looked mainly at high-mark questions to reflect everything we’ve learned. They worked really hard and then shared beautifully at the end regarding how they felt generally and in a stop-the-bus exercise. Excellent work everyone, I was super impressed by your work in this course and you should be very proud of it! See you next course and well done for all your great work the past six weeks 🙂
Homework
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1. The first detail is that the gate is “hanging of its hinges”. It makes the reader feel that this house is so old, it’s literary crumbling down. The second detail is that there was a “tall straggly hedge”. It gives one the sense that the author is using violent imagery. The word “ straggly “ makes it sound as if the hedge is being strangled. The third detail is that Buddy’s “skin crawl” it makes the reader feel that there is something in the house waiting to jump at its victim. The last detail is that “the windows were all boarded up”. It makes us feel tense and suspicion of the ruins of the house as if someone had been terrified and abandoned their house in a hurry.
2.The writer is using connotations to describe buddy’s thoughts and feelings. We can see that through “made up his mind to say no but at the last minute he changed his mind”. The author wants to show how vulnerable Buddy is through peer pressure. Another way the author is using language to show Buddy’s concern is in the line “it was only and old house”. This suggests that he is trying to persuade himself that it was just an ordinary house. Finally the author depicts Buddy’s hesitation of approaching the house in the line 22 “walked softly up the gravel path”.
3. The author structures the text in a way to engage the reader using several techniques.
Firstly, the text starts with a description of several houses in the street. The author then focuses on the house 56 where a murder occurred. This creates a illuminesque atmosphere and draws the reader into the story.
The author starts with a slow pace to create tension throughout the story by using long sentences and descriptive paragraphs. In the ending , the structure builds a climatic moment with a cliffhanger. Buddy and his friends see a face staring back at them through the letterbox and the tension reaches its peak.
in summary, the writer structures the text to build suspense and interest the reader by using slow pace and descriptive language with climatic moments. -
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Hi everyone- so sorry for the delay, I’ve been ill the past few days so am catching up with marking. Mock results will be here tomorrow morning- well done everyone for your hard work 🙂
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Hi Beth
Are you going to send a model answer of the comprehension?Thanks for the great lessons!
Tze
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